Lead vocalist Simon Le Bon began writing some lyrics based on Mulcahy's quick synopsis of the book, and the band created a harsh-sounding instrumental backdrop for them,[5] taking inspiration from the groove of the hit single "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The cost totalled over one million pounds, a staggering sum for music videos at the time, as his design filled one entire end of the "007 Stage" at Pinewood Studios with a metal pyramid and a windmill over a deep enclosed pool, and called for a lifelike robotic face, dozens of elaborate costumes, prosthetics, and make-up effects, and then-cutting-edge computer graphics.

The choreography of dance routines was undertaken by Arlene Phillips, including intricate stunts and fire effects added to the cost.

Mulcahy meant the video to be a teaser for his full-length Burroughs film, demonstrating his vision to the movie studios he was wooing, but that project was never made.

The video featured all of the band members imprisoned and in peril, wearing uncharacteristically rough and ragged outfits similar to the pieced-together clothing of the film Mad Max 2 (1981).

[citation needed] The original single B-side, "(I'm Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement" (1984), was recorded at the 5 March 1984 show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.